Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives have come to the conclusion that an argument between two brothers nearly a generation apart in age resulted in fratricide Monday night in Hesperia.
While others in the 9200 block of Second Avenue in the City of Progress were experiencing a relatively quiet evening on the night of May 11 an argument between Talib Elisha Venegas, 30, and his 50-year-old brother, Adrian Clay Wrice broke out. The contretemps between the  two was punctuated by a gunshot at around 10:45 p.m.
A 9-1-1 call was made and when arriving sheriff’s deputies reached the location, they were directed to the 9269 address when they found Wrice suffering from a gunshot wound.
“Deputies immediately initiated lifesaving measures until medical personnel arrived, according to a sheriff’s department statement. “Wrice was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. Hesperia deputies conducted an initial investigation and identified the suspect as Talib Elisha Venegas, the brother of Wrice. Venegas fled the scene prior to the deputies’ arrival.”
Detectives with the sheriff’s department’s specialized investigation division’s homicide detail dispatched to the scene reached a preliminary determination that confirmed the deputies findings and an arrest warrant for Venegas was obtained
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, however, the department played what information it had close to the vest. Sheriff’s department spokeswoman Jenny Smith, without naming Venegas and without mentioning the use of a firearm, in an application of understatement, said “During an argument between the suspect and victim, the victim sustained a major injury.’
Smith described the victim as a man but was less specific about the suspect, leaving the impression that the department might be seeking a woman as the perpetrator.
Venegas was taken into custody about 10:40 a.m. Tuesday when he returned to 9269 2nd Avenue. He was booked on suspicion of murder, along with violating the terms of felony probation stemming from a prior conviction.
He is being held without bail pending a future bail hearing.
Both brothers had criminal records and neither was unacquainted with firearms.
Adrian Wrice has a criminal history dating back more than 25 years, which included felony convictions while he was living in Los Angeles County at 4621 Gleason Street in Los Angeles and another location in Venice. Wrice removed himself from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County some 12 years ago, at which time he attempted to make a go of it with his trucking company, known as ACW Logistics. Over the last ten years, he was arrested on October 16, 2016 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was arrested on September 29, 2016 on a charge of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. He was arrested on April 11, 2017 for making threats of violence. On December 10, 2018, his parole officer took note of what was suspected to be a violation of his probation. On February 7, 2019, he was arrested for a probation violation. On July 12, 2019, September 12, 2019 and again on December 3, 2019, the probation department was involved in investigating or reviewing Wrice’s potential violation of probation. On October 2, 2022, he was considered to be a fugitive from justice. On March 2, 2024, he was arrested for being in possession of a controlled substance for sale.
In 2018, Wrice was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and of inflicting corporal punishment on a spouse with regard to the 2016 cases.
In 2019, Wrice was convicted of a probation violation.
Wrice’s younger brother, now his suspected killer, was convicted in 2024 of buying/receiving stolen property. At the time of his arrest, he was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. That charge was vacated when he pleaded guilty to the receiving stolen property charge. In 2025, he was convicted of violation of probation. In 2021, Venegas, whose full name is Talib Elijah Venegas, was convicted of possession of drugs. In 2019, he was convicted of felony violation of parole. In 2016, he was convicted of possession of metal knuckles. In 2014, he was convicted of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.
Venegas was pursuing a carreer as a rapper, having composed content that typically dwelt on or celebrated a criminal lifestyle, put into a rhyming couplets and delivered in his own inimitable flow, candence and tone.